Fit For a King
by LanieSullivan
Summary: Sequel to the Christmas one-shot, "King's Ransom." Set New Year's Eve 1984 to detail how Joe being home for the holidays affects our heroes and what really happened at the Soviet Embassy party referenced in OTL.
1. King of the Castle

Disclaimer: "Scarecrow and Mrs. King" is copyrighted to Warner Brothers and Shoot the Moon Productions. The plot is mine, but not the characters. This story is meant for enjoyment purposes only. No infringement is intended.

AN: This is a sequel to the Christmas fic, "King's Ransom," so if you haven't read that one, I'd strongly encourage you to go there first since the events of it have a direct bearing on this story. This will also serve as a filler of sorts to flesh out the details of the New Year's Eve party referenced in OTL. Hope you enjoy!  
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 **December 30, 1984**

Joe beamed at his luck as he hung up the phone. He couldn't believe he was able to get the last-minute reservation he'd wanted for him and Amanda and for New Year's Eve with only a day's notice, no less. He had to admit that as much as he was upset with his employers for leaving him stranded in Malta, his job with the EAO had its perks like being able to name-drop heads of state. Now, he just had one more call to make and everything would be set.

While Joe was making his plans, outside the house Lee was hoping his New Year's Eve plans hadn't changed. He cautiously peered through the sheer drapes of the French doors for any sign of Amanda. When he didn't see her, he crept closer to the back door figuring she was probably in the kitchen which wasn't easily visible from the patio. As was his normal habit now, he quietly cracked the door open a bit...just enough to poke his head inside and that's when he heard the unmistakable voice of Joe King. He was about to close the door and be on his way when he realized what the other man was doing. He leaned closer for a moment to hear him ordering flowers...for Amanda...and gushing about how he wanted to do something special for his wife for New Year's. Lee shook his head, let out a deep sigh and not wanting to hear any more, finally shut the door and stealthily made his way back down the driveway fuming all the way.

Joe had just completed his call when he heard Amanda and Dotty arguing as they came down the stairs.

"Mother, give me back my dress," Amanda insisted.

Curious about the hubbub, Joe stepped closer to the landing to see Dotty carrying a party dress just as the two women paused on the stairs and Dotty turned to face her daughter.

"Amanda, I know you and I know there must be some man you want to impress if you plan to wear a dress like this." She held the dress out at arm's length. "Just look at how revealing it is. Why, it practically screams 'come and get it.'"

"Mother! It's not _that_ revealing!"

"You don't think so? Well, since Joe's here, let's just ask him and see what a man thinks!"

"No, Mother, give it back. I really don't think we need to bother him with this."

Dotty rolled her eyes. "Nonsense, Amanda. It never hurts to get a man's opinion."

Amanda made a wild grab for the dress but wasn't quick enough for her spry mother when the older woman made a beeline for Joe. "Joe, Dear, we need a second opinion."

"No, _we_ don't." Amanda argued. She knew all too well what her mother was up to. After her break-up with Dean, Dotty had been determined that her daughter would not stay single forever and ever since Joe had arrived for Christmas, she'd been dropping not-so-subtle hints about the possibility of them getting back together.

Dotty continued as if Amanda hadn't spoken. "Amanda made this dress for New Year's Eve and I was thinking it's just a bit too...I don't know...too racy for this time of year."

Amanda rolled her eyes. "No, Mother it's not. Just because it's sleeveless doesn't mean it's-"

"I'm talking to Joe," her mother interrupted.

"Well, it's _my_ dress," Amanda argued as she finally took it from her mother's hands. "And I'll wear what I like. I'm not scrapping this dress when I went to all this trouble to make it." She nodded to her ex-husband. "I'm sorry for getting you involved in this."

Joe shrugged. "It's okay. And, Dotty, I don't see anything wrong with her dress. I seem to recall her wearing similar things to parties when I still worked for the EPA." He had to admit to himself that he couldn't wait to see her in it, but he didn't quite have the nerve to voice that thought aloud.

"See, Mother?"

"All right, all right. You win," Dotty grumbled good-naturedly. "Of course, if I'm truly going to help you with your New Year's Eve outfit, it would help if I knew where you were going...and with whom." She gave her daughter a pointed look.

"I told you it's just a party with some work friends and I didn't ask for your help." Amanda sighed as she made her way upstairs to escape.

"What was that all about?" Joe queried with an arched eyebrow. "It's not like Amanda not to talk to you about things."

Dotty let out a snort. "You haven't been around lately. The last couple of years she's begun acting so strangely and you wouldn't believe the secrets she keeps since she began working for that IFF."

"Did you say IFF?" Now, some things were starting to make sense about the man he'd met in Malta. From his dealings with the EAO, he knew all too well about IFF and what it really was. He wondered if that meant the mysterious Lee who'd saved his life knew Amanda. He had said they had a mutual friend. True to his word, he hadn't said anything about his adventures, but now he wondered if the other man hadn't had an ulterior motive for the request. _Or,_ a hopeful voice added, _did Amanda ask him to come after you so you could come home to your family?_ He was elated by that thought. Surely that must mean she still cared for him. Whatever the reason this man had done it, he was grateful to him for helping him get home. It had been nice to reconnect with his family and especially with Amanda.

"Yes, Joe, IFF. It's some documentary film company. Now, I ask you, why on earth would a film company hire a mother of two with no prior experience in the industry?"

"Well, she did study photojournalism in college," Joe pointed out, quite sure by Dotty's statement that she had no idea what IFF really was, which was as it should be, he supposed since the organization is supposed to operate covertly. "I suppose it's not that much of a shift from there to documentary film." He hoped that would be enough of an explanation to keep his former mother-in-law from probing further.

"I suppose. But did I tell you about the men she's been dating? She seems like she'll have a perfectly nice time, but then they seem to just disappear."

"Disappear?" His eyes widened in concern, wondering exactly what the mother of his children was doing for the Agency. He'd heard of them using female operatives or contacts to get close to men who were otherwise unapproachable. Surely, the woman he knew and loved wouldn't allow herself to be used in such a way.

"Yes, like there was this one man...Daniel...No, not Daniel...It was David. That's it...David. She had just one date with him and then he was gone. Then there was Alan...she dated him for about two weeks, then...poof..." She snapped her fingers in a dramatic gesture. "...Then he was gone too. And just a few months ago, she was sent off to London to meet with an old classmate for her job and then I never heard another word about it. I swear I just don't know what's going on with her. Joe, you're a reasonable, sensible man, maybe you can talk some sense into her."

"Maybe." He smiled as he thought of the plans he'd made. If Amanda wasn't seriously dating anyone, maybe things would work out. He'd heard her talking to Dotty about this work party for the past week and the way she had made it sound as if it were no big thing, surely she'd be appreciative of his efforts to get her out of the drudgery of a work obligation. He couldn't wait to surprise her.

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The next day, however, Amanda received a different kind of surprise. She had just about completed the last of the wire transcripts she'd been working on when Jill, the receptionist told her she had a call on the IFF line. She let out a sigh as she answered, knowing it could only be her mother or Joe calling. Shaking off her annoyance at the interruption, she answered in her normal pleasant tone, "IFF, Amanda King speaki-" She didn't even get the greeting finished when her mother began rattling on about how they had to do something or their plans for the evening would be ruined.

"Mother, slow down," she interrupted. "Just tell me what's going on."

"The sitter called. Her daughter's been up all night with the stomach flu and she can't watch the boys tonight. Oh, Amanda, what are we going to do? I have the New Year's dance tonight at the VFW and you have your own plans and I don't know anyone who'd be willing to babysit on such short notice on New Year's Eve and you went to all that trouble to make new dresses for both of us and my date will just be crushed if I cancel at the last min-"

"Mother, just calm down," Amanda told her mother in a soothing voice. "We can figure something out." She bit down on her lower lip as she thought about their options and it occurred to her that even when her mother had accosted Joe with her dress last night, he still hadn't said anything about having New Year's plans of his own. "Listen...is Joe still there?"

"Um...Yes, he is...he and the boys are playing with that video game thing he got them for Christmas. Why do you ask?"

Amanda shook her head. "Mother, could you just ask him to come to the phone, please?"

"Okay-ay," Dotty answered skeptically.

A couple of minutes later when he picked up the phone, she greeted him cordially, "Hi, Sweetheart. Listen, I was wondering...you know, since you got back we've done nothing but talk about the boys and your work...you know...playing catch-up and I told you all about this party I'm going to tonight, but it never once occurred to me to ask you if you had plans for this evening."

Joe's heart soared at her words. "Well, as a matter of fact, I was working on some plans of my own...the trouble is that I don't really have anyone to share them with."

"Gee, that's too bad. Mother told me the babysitter just cancelled at the last minute since it's impossible to get another one on New Year's Eve, I was hoping you'd be free to look after the boys. You know, it might even be good for you to spend some time with them without me around for a change, but I guess I can just tell my friend that I can't go to this work party with him tonight. I'm sure he'll understand. I mean, he gets that I'm a mother first."

His heart sank as he listened to her rambling and the edge in her voice. "You sound disappointed."

"Well, I am. I really wanted to go to this party. It's not very often that I get invited to this type of thing."

"But I thought it was just an office party," he countered in confusion.

 _Some things never change,_ she thought dismally as it occurred to her that lack of coherent communication had been one of the downfalls of their marriage. He'd often accused her of being too stubborn, but it seemed that he never really quite took the time to really listen to what she had to say or properly comprehend it. "Joe, I never once said that it was an office party. I said it was for work and it is. I was invited to a party at the Soviet Embassy along with a co-worker of mine...and...and..." She hedged as she wondered just how much she should tell Joe. "And since we were invited together, we thought we should go together."

"Well, my plans weren't set in stone or anything," Joe replied as disappointment flooded through him. "And you're right, it will be good for me to spend some time with the boys, just us guys."

Lee walked into the bullpen to ask Amanda about the party only to find her wrapping up a phone conversation with her ex-husband. "Thank you so much, Joe! I really hate to change plans at the last minute...Okay. Good, I'm glad you're on board with this. I've been looking forward to it."

As she hung up the phone, Lee said, "So, I'm guessing I need to find another date for the Soviet Embassy party?"

Amanda shot him a bewildered look. "No. Why would you think that?"

 _She doesn't know he's been making plans for her,_ he surmised by the questioning look in her eyes. "I...uh...I...uh...just figured with your ex back in town-"

"Why should that change anything? I made a promise to go with you and I plan to stick to that...unless, that is, you WANT to find another date."

"Um...no...I mean, why would I when we...you know, already made plans."

"Then why would you want to change our plans?"

"Well, I heard you on the phone just now saying goodbye to Joe. If that wasn't about making plans with him, what was it about? What is it you're looking forward to?"

"The party...with _you_ ," she asserted. "As for making plans, the only plan I made with him was for him to look after the boys so I can still go and not have to change _my_ plans since my babysitter cancelled on me."

"So..." He shuffled his feet as he took a step closer to her desk. "Then you still want to go with me?"

"Of course I do! That is...if you still want to go with me?"

"Well, you know, since Yuri did invite both of us and he thinks we're a couple... and you never know when we might have to work with him again."

"Right," Amanda agreed. "Best to maintain our cover."

"So, then it's settled, right?"

"Right."

"So, I'll see you tonight."

"Right. Tonight."

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"Wow, Mom! You look great!" Phillip gushed as Amanda entered the family room dressed for the embassy party. "That must be some party you're going to."

"Thank you, Sweetheart, but it's just a party for work." She then addressed both boys. "Listen, Fellas, I'm taking off, but I want you to behave for your dad, okay?" Once she heard their murmurings of assent, she kissed them both before turning to her ex-husband. "Now, Joe, they're allowed to stay up to watch the ball drop, but no later. They go back to school day after tomorrow and I don't want them staying up all night when they have to go to bed early tomorrow. Understand?"

"Yeah," Joe nodded. "Phillip's right, you know. You do look great. I hope your date appreciates it." He couldn't help thinking she looked positively regal in her handmade gown. He only wished he was the one to escort her tonight, but for all his hopes, it seemed that ship had sailed.

"Oh, Joe. I told you, it's not a date. Just two co-workers going to a party together and he's not even picking me up. I'm meeting him there, so it's really, really not a date."

"If you say so," he remarked skeptically.

"Either way, I don't have time to argue about it. I have to go or I'm going to be late. Boys, have fun...and behave." With one more kiss to each of them, she swept majestically out of the room.


	2. The King and I

Hours later, Amanda was having the time of her life as she and Lee enjoyed the seemingly endless buffet, the light banter with their Russian counterparts and most especially the dancing. She was glad that contrary to what she'd told her family, this party was strictly for pleasure. Of course, they still had to keep up a bit of a cover for Yuri's benefit, but Lee actually seemed to be enjoying it. She'd lost count of how many times, he'd swept her out onto the dance floor and she'd even finally gotten her cha-cha with him.

They paused from their dancing for a moment, both needing to catch their breath and in dire need of drinks. Lee smoothly plucked two champagne glasses from a passing waiter's tray and handed her one. "Having a good time?"

She took a sip, smiled at him and answered with a nod. "I really am. It's really a lovely party. I'm so glad that Joe was willing and able to stay with the boys so I could still come. He was really a life-saver."

Lee tensed at the mention of her ex. "Joe was a life-saver, huh?" he snorted. He wondered what she'd think of her precious Joe if she knew that he himself had just literally saved Joe's life a week ago.

"Well, if he hadn't been here, I'd have missed all this." _And you,_ she mentally added. "Besides he's been away so much, it's good for him to spend time with the boys. They've missed him terribly."

"The _boys_ have missed him?" He arched an eyebrow wondering if that her subtle way of saying that she'd also missed her ex.

"Well, of course, he is their father, after all."

"Oh, right. Of course," Lee agreed and relaxed a bit as she seemed to be genuinely speaking only of the father-son relationships. He reflected back on his conversation with Joe in Malta and how he'd talked about missing his boys and while he'd mentioned Amanda, he hadn't said a word about actually missing her as well. _So, then what the hell was he doing making plans for her?_ a nagging voice in his head argued. _But she chose to be with me tonight, didn't she?_ the hopeful part of him responded.

He was pulled from his thoughts by a shift in the music. "Hey, listen. They're playing a waltz now." He smiled warmly at her, gently took her glass from her hand, set both of their glasses down on their table and offered her his arm. "Shall we?"

"Gladly," she responded eagerly as she took his arm and they walked out to the dance floor.

"So, are _you_ having a good time?" she asked as he held her closely reminding her of the first time they'd danced.

"I am now," he crooned in her ear.

They were both silent for a moment as they moved effortlessly to the music together and reveled in enjoying each other's company. Amanda when Lee pulled back a bit to gaze at her intently and for a brief moment she thought he was going to kiss her, but all too soon, the song ended and a tango began.

"That was nice," Amanda said softly with a bright smile. "But I'm not really up for a tango. You wanna'...?" She gestured back to their table. "Maybe we could...I don't know...talk some more."

"Sure." Lee's face fell in disappointment, but he quickly tried to hide it with a smile. He wanted nothing more than to hold her all night. He clasped her hand in his as they walked back to the table together. As they sat, he inquired, "So...uh...what do you want to talk about?"

"Well, it's...ab-about..." she stammered nervously.

"About?" he probed and gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

"Well, about wh-what happened out there. For a second, I th-thought...well, we were awfully close and I...just for a second, mind you, I thought you wanted to-to kiss me."

"Kiss you? I-I...well, I was just keeping up appearances, you know." He nodded toward Yuri who was sitting at the next table. "I don't know if you've noticed, but Yuri and his buddy, Borchov, over there have had their eyes glued on us all night." He didn't say so aloud, but he'd also noticed how Yuri's friend had not only been watching, but had been leering at Amanda the whole night. While he'd never met him personally, he knew who he was and more than that, knew the man's reputation which was worse than Lee's own. Not only was Borchov a serial womanizer, but he was notorious for only going after women who were otherwise attached.

"Oooohhhh, right. Keeping up appearances." She tilted her head sideways and stared at him, not quite sure she believed him. The look in his eyes in that moment on the dance floor had been something different than she'd seen in him before. It wasn't like those times he'd blatantly flirted with her, it was more sincere.

Seeing her slightly hurt look on her face, he sputtered, "But...I-I...you know, I meant what I said. I _am_ having a good time...with you."

"Good, but you know when you almost kissed me, it got me thinking...well, this is a New Year's Eve party and Yuri does think we're a couple and...just look at the time...it's not that far from..." She smiled awkwardly at him as her voice trailed off.

"You're thinking of the traditional New Year's Eve kiss at midnight," he surmised. When she nodded in response, he replied matter-of-factly. "Well, it's not as if we haven't kissed for a cover before...like at the football camp."

"Or how close we were that weekend at the Cumberland."

"Right. We'll...uh...just do what we've done before." He gestured to the dance floor. "But for now, how about another dance now that the tango is over?"

"Love to."

"Are my good friends having fun tonight?" Yuri interrupted stopping them in their tracks as he clapped them both on the back jovially.

"Oh, yes, Yuri, we are," Amanda answered. "And thank you so much for inviting us."

"I would like you to meet my other very good friend, Valery Borchov. Valery, Lee Stetson and Amanda King."

Borchov gave Lee a curt nod, but then turned his attention to Amanda, looking her up and down. "How you say in your country...charmed to meet you, Miss King," he greeted her as he reached for her hand.

"It's _Mrs._ King..." Lee corrected gruffly, but by the look on Borchov's face, he knew that was a mistake as soon as he said it.

"Oh? So, you've branched out," the Russian sneered. He knew Lee's reputation as well.

"Actually, I'm divorced," Amanda explained. "In fact, my ex-husband is at home with the children tonight so I could go out."

Borchev beamed. "Then perhaps, I could ask you for the pleasure of a dance?"

"Oh, thank you," she responded politely. "But I promised this dance to my date." She linked her arm with Lee's and leaned her head on his shoulder, not liking at all the way the Russian was undressing her with his eyes. Perhaps her mother had been right about her dress being too revealing. She had to admit she'd been right about one thing...she had worn it to impress a man, just not _that_ man. "So, if you'll excuse us..."

Lee didn't wait for a response as he tugged Amanda toward the dance floor and dramatically took her in his arms. "What was that all about?" he hissed in her ear.

"What was what all about?"

"All that stuff about your ex-husband being at home with the children?"

"Well, it's true, Lee."

"Except that it's not _his_ home...not anymore, is it? You don't understand that with a guy like Borchov, he'll just take that as a challenge if he thinks you're here with me and still have Joe at home waiting for you."

"Oh, Lee, don't be silly. Joe's not at home waiting for me, not in the sense you mean anyway. We're divorced, remember? He's only staying at the house for the holidays and then he's off to wherever the EAO is sending him next."

Lee paused in his dancing and released her. "Wait! What? He's staying there? At the house? With you?" He stomped off the dance floor in a huff and Amanda quickly followed behind him.

"Lee, wait!" she called after him and finally caught up to him as he reached their table and downed the remainder of his champagne in one long swig.

"What?" he snapped as he slammed his glass down. "What do you think you're doing? Did you even think about how confusing is must be for your kids if you're letting Joe stay with you? Like you said, you're divorced."

"I think you've seriously misunderstood. Joe is not staying _with_ me. He's been sleeping on the pullout in the living room."

"But he's still staying at your house," he argued.

She let out a deep sigh. "Yes, but only because he had a very rough time in Malta and he needed to decompress and..."

"You're telling me..." Lee muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing. Go on."

"Well, like I said, he needed to decompress and I thought he could do that better if he were with family rather than in some hotel. It's been two years since he's seen the boys and I...well, I-"

Lee's facial expression softened. "You were just trying to do what's best for your family like you always do."

"Yes," she stated emphatically. "Now, what's this really all about? If I didn't know better, I'd say you were jealous of Joe." She searched his face for a reaction, but there was none. "But that would be silly, right? I mean, you have no reason to be jealous...do you?"

"Jealous? No, of course not. Why would I be jealous? I'm just concerned for your well-being...and the kids, of course. You're a good mother and I wouldn't want to see you doing anything that could hurt your kids."

"Well, I appreciate your concern, but the boys are fine and they understand that I'm not getting back together with their dad...ever. And they understand that that's why he's sleeping in the living room. He divorced me, not them, so he's staying at the house as their guest, not mine."

"Okay, okay, I get it." He really didn't. He couldn't understand why Amanda was so friendly to a man who'd pretty much abandoned her and her children, but he was willing to concede because he didn't want to ruin their evening by fighting. "I'm sorry I lost my cool. I just...with Borchov...and Joe and...we were having such a good time and I-I-I just didn't want that to end."

"There's no reason it should. I mean, we may have come here together to keep up appearances, but still...we _are_ here together and we might as well enjoy it. Right?"

"Right. So...another dance?"

"Sounds good to me," she readily agreed. As luck would have it, they didn't get the opportunity to have that dance because the band had stopped playing to begin the countdown to midnight. "Oh, gosh, it's almost midnight already."

"Yes, it is," Lee murmured as he caught a glimpse of Borchov staring at them again and placed his hands on her waist to pull her closer.

Amanda's hands slid up his chest to rest on his shoulders and she shivered slightly in anticipation of the promised kiss. She only vaguely registered the countdown around her, lost in Lee's eyes as he edged closer to her. She parted her lips slightly as the cries of "Happy New Year," blew up around her, but her only thoughts were of the explosion of sensation as Lee's mouth descended on her, their breath mingling, his arms tightening around her.

Lee was lost in the heady sensations, whether it was from the buzz of the champagne he'd just chugged or kissing Amanda, he couldn't quite be sure, but he knew he didn't want that feeling to end. Unfortunately, it was not to last because a boisterous cry of "Happy New Year" close to them broke the spell.

They released each other and both turned to find Borchov invading their space. "Perhaps now, I could have that dance?" he asked.

"Take a hike, Pal," Lee growled before Amanda could answer. Between Joe being around and this guy, he'd had enough. "Your buddy Yuri must have told you by now that Amanda is _my_ girl."

"Lee..." Amanda said softly in a warning tone. While he may deny it, she knew there was some jealousy at work and she didn't want to see it turn into a fight.

"Ahhh...of course..."

"Listen, Mr. Borchov, I appreciate the offer, but I'm here with Lee tonight, so if you don't mind-"

Borchov nodded to her and walked away.

"You know, you don't have to be so nice to him," Lee groused. "That kind of guy is only interested in _one_ thing."

"Well, I'm _not_ interested," she informed him. "But just because I'm not interested, that doesn't mean that I need to be rude about it."

"Just like you don't want to be rude to Joe by making him stay in a hotel, I'm sure," he spat as he flung himself into his chair.

"Oh, stop it!" she scolded as she sat beside him. "I already explained that to you. And that's an entirely different situation. He and I have two children together and he so rarely gets to see the boys... What else do you think I should have done?"

Before Lee could answer, Borchov returned to their table with a bottle of vodka in one hand and four shot glasses balanced in the other, Yuri by his side. Lee glowered at the Russian. "Would you take a hint already? The lady's not interested."

"I wish to apologize for my presumptuousness with a drink...perhaps we could toast to the start of a new year?"

"That's very nice of you," Amanda replied politely earning her a glare from Lee.

Borchov took Amanda's kindness as an invitation and sat in one of the unoccupied chairs at their table, while Yuri took the fourth. "And to good friends," Yuri chimed in as Borchov poured.

They all drank and while slamming his shot glass down, Lee's temper began to get the better of him and he barked at Borchov, "What kind of girly name is Valery anyway?"

Borchov grinned maliciously and fired back, "But Lee...is that not also a girl's name in this country?" His grin grew wider when he saw the flare of anger in Lee's eyes. "Another drink?" Without waiting for an answer, he refilled Lee's glass and his own.

"No more for me," Amanda jumped in and covered her glass with her hand.

"Lee, My Friend, I don't think this is a good idea, " Yuri warned as he covered his own glass. "Borchov is known to be quite the drinker."

"It's just a 'friendly' drink, isn't it?" Lee raised his glass. "To new 'friends,' he jeered at Borchev and they both drained their glasses.

"Lee, I have to agree with Yuri," Amanda piped up. "This really isn't a good idea. I mean, you still have to drive home tonight...don't you?" She was already pretty certain with the way things were going that between the champagne and the vodka, she'd be the one driving Lee home tonight.

"It's fine, Amanda," Lee insisted.

"Perhaps you should listen to your girlfriend," Yuri suggested but his words fell on deaf ears as Lee was already reaching for the vodka bottle.

"I can't watch this," Amanda moaned. "Yuri, would you like to dance?"

"It would be my pleasure," he replied and the two left the other pair to their contest of wills. As they walked out onto the dance floor, he mused, "Lee, he is quite the jealous man, is he not?"

Amanda chuckled. "Not that he'll admit to it. I just hope he doesn't do anything that he's going to regret in the morning."

"Liquor and jealously are a bad combination," he agreed. "But what will happen, will happen." He felt that a change of subject was in order."So, how are your children? You have two boys, yes?"

"Yes, they're growing up so fast, I can barely keep up with them, especially since their father is not around much. But he did make it home for Christmas and they were thrilled to have him there."

"That is good...but perhaps not so good for Lee. A bit of jealousy there too, if I'm not mistaken."

"You know, speaking of which, this has been lovely, but I really should call home and check on them...make sure that he's gotten them into bed now that it's after midnight. If you'll excuse me..."

"Of course," Yuri responded. "Thank you for the dance."

Amanda hurried to find a pay phone and upon making her call, found that per her instructions, the boys were already in bed though they'd grumbled about it. "Thank you, Joe. I'm sure they gave you the argument that they're still on vacation, but I appreciate you making sure they listened to me. I'll be home as soon as I can." She ended the call and returned to the ballroom just in time to see her worst fears realized. Lee and Borchov were now standing near the buffet table squaring off with Yuri trying to get between them.

"Why don't you just go back to your own country?" Lee shouted as he poked Borchov in the chest with one finger and swayed unsteadily on his feet as he did so. "Or aren't there any desperate women there?"

"Gentlemen, please," Yuri pleaded as Amanda hurried over to see if she could help.

"Oh, yes, but your American women are so much more so and they love a man with an accent, especially the bored housewives like your Amanda."

Lee took a swing at Borchov who easily sidestepped it causing Lee to land on the buffet table.

"Oh, Lee," Amanda moaned in dismay as she and Yuri rushed to help him up. She frowned as she saw the deep red stain spread across Lee's tuxedo shirt. She took a moment to examine him to make sure he wasn't hurt and was relieved to see that it was borscht, not blood on his shirt. "Time to go, Lee. Yuri, would you mind terribly helping me get him to my car?"

"Not at all." He gave his friend a stern, scolding look and said, "And you and I will talk later."


	3. The One-Eyed Man is King

Thirty minutes later, Amanda was wrestling Lee into his apartment amid his protests. "Amanda, I'm fine!" he snapped as he tried to shake her off.

"No, you're not fine. You're drunk and you can't even walk straight. Come on, just put your arms around me and let me help you to bed."

"I like that part..." he murmured as he conceded and gripped her tightly. "Didya' have fun tonight?"

"I did until someone decided to get in a macho measuring contest over something that didn't even matter," she responded pointedly as they entered his bedroom and she made a move to force him into bed, but he hadn't let go of her and caused her to topple onto it with her landing atop him.

With one hand, Lee reached inside her partially-open coat for one of the tiny straps at her shoulder while his other hand delved beneath it and came to rest on her bare back and mumbled, "Like your dress."

She gave an involuntary shudder at the contact and the way he was gazing at her as if he wanted to devour her whole. It would be so easy to let his overly familiar behavior overwhelm her, but she knew it was a direct result of the liquor so instead, she simply replied, "Thank you," as she pulled herself to her feet and smoothed out her dress. "But you look a mess." She nodded to his stained shirt. "Come on, let's at least get you cleaned up a bit. Can you sit up a bit?"

"Yeah," he murmured and with her help got to enough of a seated position that she could help him shrug out of his coat.

"Good. That's good," she praised him. "Now, the shirt." She swallowed hard as she watched him fumble with the buttons realizing that in his present state, he didn't have the dexterity to do it himself and she'd have to help him. As carefully as she could, she undid the buttons one by one and felt a shiver shoot up her spine at the sight of his bared torso.

She had just gotten his cufflinks undone and helped him pull his arms out of the sleeves when he reached for her again, slid his now freed hands to her waist and pulled her closer. "You're beautiful."

Amanda gasped when she felt his lips on hers again, this time much more insistent that they had been at midnight. She quickly pulled away. As much as she'd like to think he meant was he was saying, she knew in her head that it was the copious amounts of vodka he'd imbibed talking.

She glanced at his disheveled state and thought about offering to help him finish undressing for bed, but thought better of it. No sense in tempting fate. She reached for his discarded shirt and said, "Listen, I'm just gonna' got put this with the things to go to the dry cleaners and then I...uh...I should get home..."

"Stay..." he pleaded as he reached for her hands and clasped them in his, causing her to drop the shirt.

"No, I-I-I-" She stammered. She wondered if he would even remember any of this in the morning. "I want to," she replied honestly, hoping that if he did remember, he'd understand that she was definitely interested, but not under these circumstances. She gave him a gentle push to get him to lie down again. "But I...uh...I have to get home to my children and you should get some sleep. But...uh give me a call sometime tomorrow so we can go get your car, okay?"

"'Kay," he sleepily agreed as he closed his eyes.

"Happy New Year, Lee," she said and with one final glance wondering what might have been, she left the room.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When she pulled into her driveway half an hour later, she was surprised to see that the downstairs lights were still on. As she entered the house, she was immediately greeted by Joe who demanded, "Where the hell have you been?"

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. It's after 2AM and you're just _now_ getting home?"

Amanda rolled her eyes. "Well, _Dad_ , the last time I checked, I'm an adult and don't have a curfew. Plus, you already knew I'd be out late because of this party."

"Sure...the party," he snorted in disbelief.

"Joe, just stop...please," she responded in a gentler tone. "I've had about all the boorish, jealous man garbage I can deal with for one night. First from Lee and now from you."

Well, now he had his answer...it _was_ Lee that she went out with tonight. "Oh? So, you had a fight with your boyfriend? Gee, that's too bad," he countered sarcastically.

"Okay, first of all, he's not my boyfriend, he's just a friend. Secondly, even if he were my boyfriend, I don't see how that's any of your business. And third-"

"Not my business? It becomes my business when you're neglecting our children because of it," he interrupted.

"I'm not neglecting them. I went out for _one_ night."

"But your mother was telling me about all these other boyfriends you've had that have come and gone," he retorted. "What kind of example are you setting for the boys?"

"What?" She made a mental note to have a long talk with her mother as she continued, "I've had _one_ boyfriend since you and I split up and yes, I've been on a few dates since then, but the boys _always_ come first. Can you say the same thing?" Without giving him a chance to answer, she did so herself, "No, you can't because you're always running off to God knows where and-"

"Do you have any idea what it took for me to get home for the holidays?"

"No, why don't you tell me?"

"Maybe you should ask your _boyfriend_ about it," he spat. "He was there."

"He's not my boyf-" She paused as it hit her what he'd just said. "Wait, did you say he was there...in Malta?" She hadn't even been aware that he'd left the country.

"Oh, he didn't tell you about it?" That explained the other man's insistence that he not tell the family how he'd gotten home. He clearly didn't want Amanda to know about it.

"No, he didn't, but I'll be sure to talk to him about it the next time I see him at the office." She took a deep breath to calm herself. After the way her night had ended, the last thing she needed was for them to have a loud fight and wake the boys, and then have to explain to them what was going on. "For now, why don't we just sit down in the den and talk about this? Clearly, something's bothering you and it's more than me being out late."

Joe sighed and nodded. "I'm sorry," he said as they walked into the den and he sank down onto the sofa despondently. "You're right, you know. Your private life is none of my business."

"No, it really isn't," she replied as she sat down beside him. "But what's this really all about?"

"I don't know. I just thought..." He wasn't sure how to get the words out without embarrassing himself at his impetuousness in making a date for the two of them without knowing if that's what she wanted.

"You thought what?"

"Well, the way you talked about this party to your mother, I thought it was going to be some dull, stuffy thing that you didn't really want to go to, but just felt obligated to attend."

"Ohhhhh..." Realization hit her as she recalled how disgruntled he'd sounded on the phone when she'd asked him to take care of the boys. "Joe...you um...when you said you were making plans for tonight...you didn't...I mean, you wouldn't..." At the sheepish look on his face, she concluded, "You did."

He hung his head and nodded. "I did. I thought it would be a nice surprise for you and get you out of a tedious obligatory work party, but I-"

Amanda let out a deep sigh of frustration. "I don't suppose it occurred to you to talk to me before making plans for me? I mean, this was the whole problem when we were married...you always just assumed that whatever you wanted, I'd willingly-" She clamped her mouth shut and gave her head a shake. "No, we're not going to do this again," she stated firmly.

"Maybe we should," he suggested. "Cleary, getting divorced didn't solve anything. You're right...at least this time anyway." He chuckled awkwardly."I did make an assumption that I shouldn't have."

Amanda gave him a half-smile at his willingness to admit that he was wrong and felt she needed to do that same. "To be fair to you, I wasn't entirely honest about the nature of the party, but the main reason for that is because of Mother. Ever since you and I divorced, she's been after me to get married again and every time I have a date, she gets way too enthusiastic about where it might lead so I sort of...fudged some details about this one."

"So, it _was_ a date?"

"No, not really. I mean, it kind of was and Lee treated it like a date. But it's like I was telling you before, that was because the invitation was addressed to both of us."

"I don't really understand. You say he's not your boyfriend, but if that's true, why would you have been invited together?"

"Well, it's...uh...it's sort of complicated. The man who invited us thinks we're a couple when we're really not and we...uh...we need him to keep believing that."

"Why?" Knowing what he did about Amanda's employer, he wondered if this were some elaborate cover.

"You know that I work for IFF, right?"

"Right."

"Well, IFF is a documentary film company and sometimes when we're working...on a film, that is, people aren't always forthcoming if they know what we're doing. So, there are times that we have to pretend to be something we're not to complete our projects. In this case, the man in question already knew who we were and because we'd pretended to be a couple in the past, he mistakenly believed that we really were. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah, I guess so." What didn't make sense to him was how the woman he'd once thought he knew so well had changed so much. He couldn't believe how easily the lies rolled off her tongue now. "But if that's the case, then what was with the 'jealous man' stuff you were talking about? If he's not really your boyfriend, why would he have any reason to be jealous?"

"Hmmm...maybe jealous is the wrong word," she amended her earlier statement. "He's just very protective of me and there was this other man at the party tonight who was a little too...persistent, I guess is the right word and Lee...well, he took that protective instinct a little too far. That's part of why I was home so late. He had a little too much to drink and got in a fight and I had to drive him home."

Joe laughed. "I guess Phillip was right again. That must have been some party."

Amanda joined in his laughter. "It really was. All in all, I had a great time though...until that part anyway."

"Well, whether he's your boyfriend or not, it sounds like he's a good guy to have around." He could vouch for that since the man had saved his life.

"Sounds like you know a little something about that too. I mean, if he was there in Malta with you."

He cringed at the hinting tone in her voice since he'd now broken his promise to Lee to keep his name out of things. "Um...you know, I shouldn't have said anything. He actually asked me not to and even though I said you should ask him about it, you really shouldn't. I mean, he must have a reason for keeping it from you, right? Especially with what he really does for a living."

Amanda eyebrows shot up in alarm as she gaped at him. "Wh-what do you m-mean by that?" she stammered.

"Amanda, come on, I'm not stupid. I've travelled around the world enough to know what the Agency is."

"I see," she replied shortly. "And yet you let me go on and on about IFF...telling you those half-truths..."

"Because I figured that given the nature of that kind of work, you had to hide what you really do." He gave her an inquisitive look. "What is it that you do there?"

"Joe, if you know about the Agency, you must know that I can't talk about it. That's the other reason that I wasn't completely truthful about this party."

"I know and I understand, but whatever it is you do for them, I don't understand why it is that you're involved in that kind of work at all. How did something like that even happen?"

"I'm afraid that's something I can't really talk about in any detail either," she replied apologetically. They were both silent for a moment, until she piped up, "So, I told you all about my night. How was your night with the boys?"

"It was good. You were right. It was nice to spend time with them with just us. Jamie soundly trounced both Phillip and me in a game of Scrabble, but it was fun. It's amazing to me how smart he is."

"He really is. I just wish Phillip had half his drive for schoolwork. I worry sometimes because the older they get, the more they seem to be drifting apart. Phillip's already starting to get interested in girls...no girlfriends yet, but I have a feeling it won't be long. Jamie's just really more interested in school and he's starting to lose some of his interest in sports while Phillip is very athletic. I just don't want to see them become so different that they just don't get along at all anymore."

"Well, they seemed fine tonight," Joe assured her. "I mean, there were some tiny little squabbles and a little bit of name-calling, but just normal brother stuff. I enjoyed every minute of it, even breaking up their little spats. I haven't done nearly enough of that."

"Good. I'm glad you had this time with them. I mean, if Lee went to the trouble to help you get out of Malta..."

"I never said that's what happened," Joe protested.

"No, but you didn't have to. I know Lee. You see, he's not just protective of me, but the boys too. Even though he's never met them, he's always looking out for them and I think probably you too because of them."

Joe shook his head and laughed. "How can I compete with that?" Amanda gave him a stern look. "I'm just kidding."

"That's good because there's no competition here. I'm not a prize to be won. And this thing with Lee, I don't know where it's going..." She paused as she thought of the brief kiss they'd shared and his roaming hands at his apartment and felt a spark shoot up her back at the memories.

She shook off those thoughts because she just knew it would never work. "Or if it's even going anywhere...probably not because he's a very difficult man to get close to...but one thing I do know for sure is that I don't want you getting the wrong idea." She thought of Lee's reaction to Joe staying at the house and now that she knew Joe had had similar thoughts, she needed to quash those thoughts with him just as she had with Lee.

"No wrong ideas here. You and me...we-we're really over."

"Yeah, we really are, Joe. I love you and I always will, but it's too late to go back. But I want you to know that you're always welcome here to come and see the boys whenever you can get away from your travels."

"I appreciate that."

"I'm glad you understand and I'm glad that we cleared the air, but it's late and I really should get some sleep." She rose from the sofa and headed toward the stairs.

"Hey, Amanda?"

She turned. "Yes?"

"I'm glad you had a good time tonight. I'm really happy for you." While sad for himself, he really was happy for her.

"Thank you, Joe. Happy New Year."

"Happy New Year," he replied with a weak smile as she turned and walked up the stairs and he reflected back on the events of the past week. Clearly, his earlier thoughts that Amanda had sent Lee after him were wrong since it was obvious by her surprise when he'd mentioned it that she didn't even know anything about it. How could he have gotten things so wrong?

He pulled himself from the sofa and made his way to the pullout in the next room to get ready for bed himself. Even though he'd been disappointed, he had thoroughly enjoyed his evening with Phillip and Jamie. He hadn't been lying to Lee in Malta about how much he'd missed them, but he hadn't been fully honest about missing his ex-wife too. He only wished he'd known when he'd first met Lee what a deep connection there was between him and Amanda. While she denied it, it was obvious to him that she had strong feelings for Lee. He sighed once more as the knowledge that he'd missed his chance fully hit him, but he supposed it was no less than he deserved. He heard Amanda's scolding words about his travels echoing through his head. While the words had been said out of frustration, he knew she wasn't wrong. He'd made his choice years ago and now he was paying the price for it. He could only hope the new year that had begun would turn out better than the one that had just ended.


End file.
